Marissa’s dedication to organizing is rooted in the often unexpected bonds that exist across identities. She is deeply moved by the alignment that emerges when we tell our stories of oppression and struggles for liberation. Marissa is a white, queer, middle-class woman who grew up in Massachusetts. Her belief that everyone should be valued for their inherent worth and humanity was shaped by her maternal grandmother and mother’s values around disability justice. As a young person, Marissa found belonging and a love for nonconformity in the quirky communities of theater and dance. After moving to Colorado for graduate school, she taught dance and cultural studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder for 14 years and developed her skills in nonprofit communications.

In 2014, Marissa co-founded the Boulder chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), organizing alongside other white folx to take local action for racial justice. She also co-led SURJ Families of Boulder County — an effort that was fueled by the heartbreak and anger about racism in education that her kids and other Black students experience. 

She joined Center for Health Progress in 2022, where she found her beloved political home. Marissa has been personally impacted by the ways our health care system is set up to maximize profits at our expense, and she’s passionate about moving other middle-class white people to understand their place in unified, multiracial organizing. In her free time, she may be found letting loose through a freestyle dance party with her two rabble-rouser kids, or getting out of her head by enjoying the nature in Colorado.